Music week.

I've been to three shows in the last three nights; all Canadian, all amazing musicians. My roommate (whose blog you can check out here) once said that my iPod may as well be CBC Radio 3 (which you should definitely listen in to, in case you don't already--Canadian "indie" goodness), and this is probably a valid point. Although I'm not originally from Canada, when it comes to the arts I'm aggressively Canadian (and parts Irish, but that is a conversation for another day), which does well to explain my criticism of Harper for partially obliterating the importance of arts and culture here.

Anyway, the three bands I saw are: Dan Mangan from Vancouver, BC; the infamous and incomparable Broken Social Scene (they organized a food drive with the Daily Food Bank for the homeless--the participation was a bit disheartening, but my friend Adam and I Campbelled it up) ; and Hawksley Workman. Weeks like this, I really love living in Toronto. The Acorn, Ohbijou and The Rural Alberta Advantage (one of my favourite bands from Toronto) played together at Lee's Palace the same night of Broken Social Scene, as well as Black Hat Brigade and The Schomberg Fair at the Horseshoe.

I name-drop incessantly because I just want to point out how much there is to see and hear in this city--in every city, for that matter. And they've all got things to say, outside of their music as well. All songwriters are thinkers, and they are all bound to have something to say about something you've never thought of before.

So... seek them out! I assume there will be a Best of 2008 list at the end of the year, no matter how incomplete and limited my hearing range has been this year.

ps. If you go to shows, and you just absolutely must blaze/drink from the bottle right at the venue, please don't pick fights with my friends. Or start imitating the keys guy on my sister's head. It's annoying. Just sayin'.

pps. Last day of classes woo! But the upcoming Week Fourteen of Death is... frightening. So is the Last Day of Work Pending Unemployment--coming this Sunday!

Come on, student living

I really haven't been able to be as creative as I want to be, this being the second last week of classes and the schoolwork dump is inevitable. I am also two weeks away from being unemployed (my choice) and I'm excited as hell but seriously not looking forward to any further student poverty than what I already have...

So we'll continue to revisit some oldies...

My baby cousin turned one whole year old back in July. She lives in Washington, D.C. and my sister and I made this painting, bundled it up and dropped it off. I haven't seen her since, but she's learning to speak and walk and I miss her!

le chat

I've been comparing my state to a cat: I just want to bask all day in the sun and play with balls of yarn. A difficult task to achieve via living in a basement in Toronto in November.

I painted Captain Pringles (I didn't intend this, but they ended up bearing a striking resemblance) for a friend's birthday in August. I'm not sure what it's supposed to mean, but a lost sea captain celebrates his birthday at sea while a whale navigates... is what I ended up implying.

Before I go, and just so I seem at least a bit more literate than a cat, I want to comment on the situation in Burma. A hundred peaceful activists are imprisoned again. The regime refuses to negotiate terms for UN's visit due in December. Half a million people are displaced in their own country. They've appealed, by democracy and by religion and by sheer humanity, but none of this seems to impress anyone of power. Something's got to give, but whowhenwherehow?

ps... A woman lives with 130 cats.

en papier, en deux

I thought I'd mention the lovely music behind the name of this blog: Paper Anniversary by Christine Fellows (a not-very-subtle reference to her first anniversary with husband John K. Samson of the Weakerthans). She is a very Canadian artist from Winnipeg. I've been listening to this album on repeat for awhile now.

I saw her in concert last December at the Music Hall in Toronto; she had a projector full of art to share, and a flock of birds that came along. December last year was lovely.

I uploaded a song from the album: Vertebrae.

Last time I came here to visit him
I ran sunburnt through the halls
My arms full of tiger lilies
I don't remember this
But I was told to go home
And to clear the doorstep of flowers

Why, when you know you should go,
Is it so hard to leave?

Plan for Thursday: a cancelled class, and Iron & Wine in concert!

#1

So... here it is.

I painted this over the summer, when I thought I might be painting murals for a summer job. It's of a carousel that my dad got me from a flea market in some smalltown, Ontario, quite a few years ago--it plays music and spins!